


Rush Of Your Skin

by MeredithBrody



Series: Pretty Little Distance [2]
Category: Designated Survivor (TV)
Genre: F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 11:21:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13902951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/pseuds/MeredithBrody
Summary: Seth and Kendra have had an argument, and sometimes it takes a deeper connection to move past it.





	Rush Of Your Skin

**Author's Note:**

> So. Apparently smut is what I needed to write. This is set about one month after "Thirty One Days" and around one month before "Easter Treats".
> 
> Lyrics and title are from "Come On, Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson

_**I miss the sound of your voice** _  
_**The loudest thing in my head** _  
_**And I ache to remember** _  
_**All the violent, sweet, perfect** _  
_**Words that you said** _

Kendra hadn’t been expecting much to come out of today, it had mostly been a long and tiring and she didn’t even know who was going to be home when she got there. She and Seth had had an argument a few days earlier and they hadn’t seen much of each other since. She didn’t even really remember what the argument had been about but he was really mad at her and she was tired and fed up and really she just wanted to be with him or Lyor or both of them tonight. Lyor was working tonight and Kendra knew that Seth had been staying there, so she secretly hoped that he was going to come home tonight.

She would apologise for just about anything right now. There was no doubt in her mind that it was her fault. She was coping better since Christmas but there were still days that made her snappy, anxious and generally a little depressed. Seth was normally the only person around her on those days, even Lyor was generally unwelcome. Though that was more because he pushed her too far, too fast and she started to feel bitter.

The worst part was that Kendra actually missed Seth. They’d been sat in senior staff together not an hour ago. He’d stopped by her office half an hour before that. They spoke five times a day for various reasons and yet she still missed him. She missed feeling his arms snaking around her waist as she stood talking to someone. She missed the things that he’d say, be it to her or to others. Everything he wrote.

Mostly though she missed that voice he seemed to have that only she and Lyor ever heard. The one that was full of love and joy and wonder. The one that reminded Kendra that every inch of her was loved. Even when that was used just as they were walking around the White House. She missed it so much and it had been three days. Three days he’d been a little distant and hadn’t doted on her anywhere near as much as she had been used to.

Now she was on her way home to their likely empty apartment and she hated it. She’d never felt lonely at home before. Always being content to live in her own company. Then Seth had moved in and Lyor had stayed three nights a week at least and Kendra had never been lonely. She’d always had one or both of her boys at home. For almost six months she’d had one of them right there. This week had been hard on her for that reason.

As she’d expected, the apartment was dark, cold and empty. She fought back the tears as she turned the lights on and started debating what to make for her dinner. Maybe she should just go to bed, try to forget that another day had passed and maybe, just maybe, start thinking that this was all over because she couldn’t control herself. It felt like such a familiar story.

She hadn’t even moved when there was a knock at the door, and Kendra paused a little and turned around. There was nobody she’d expected tonight, and hardly anyone knocked even when they were expected. The peep hole let her know who was there, and by the time she opened the door she had worked herself into an internal panic as to why Seth would have arrived there entirely unexpectedly. “Hey. Can I come in?”

“This is your home, Seth.” Kendra hated that he felt like he needed to ask. This wasn’t something she wanted him to ever think. A few weeks earlier he’d moved in here and Kendra didn’t regret that decision. In fact, she still thought it was the best decision she’d ever made. Maybe that was why it was so painful that he wasn’t here. Maybe they could talk, maybe they could salvage something out of all of this. She didn’t want to lose Seth, she definitely didn’t want to lose Lyor. She needed and wanted them both and hopefully that was what Seth wanted too. “I’m glad you’re here. Maybe we can talk.”

“I’m not here to talk, Ken.” Seth said flatly and Kendra’s stomach knotted again. He wasn’t here to talk then why was he here. She was looking at him sheepishly, guilty for whatever had happened between them, when she felt him reach out to her and pull her in to him, kissing her as hard and as deeply as Kendra thought he ever had. She didn’t remember anything ever being so passionate between them before.

 _**Come on, get higher** _  
_**Loosen my lips** _  
_**Faith and desire** _  
_**And the swing of your hips** _  
_**Just pull me down hard** _  
_**And drown me in love** _

When Seth pulled away Kendra just stood there for a second, letting the heat fade from her face, though she was sure there was still a blush there. It took something special to still make her blush after more than six months together. Yet here she was, probably beat red and momentarily speechless. It was only then she realised that she needed to ask why he was there. “If you’re not here to talk why are you here?”

“To tell you, to show you… that I love you beyond all words and I’m sorry for everything that’s gone on between us the last few days.” He stepped closer again, closing what distance had opened up after that kiss and gently stroking her cheek. They were both silent for a while, letting the moment wash over them. “I love you so much that I would rather never leave the house than live without you with me.”

“I’m so sorry Seth, I’m so, so sorry about all of this and I love you so much.” Kendra couldn’t help it spilling out of her once he broke the dam. She needed to tell him how much she wanted to be with him, how much she cared about him and how much she loved him. She didn’t want to have to pretend that this wasn’t exactly what it was, her begging him for forgiveness for something that she didn’t actually remember doing. Seth had a pretty good understanding of PTSD, he was patient, he would see that she was trying.

“I know. Ken.” He nodded softly, kissing her gently between deep breaths, each one of them remembering what brought them here, and why it mattered how this went. “I know and I love you.” Hearing that be repeated and confirmed was exactly what she needed after all this. She needed to be told, and she thought that Seth needed to tell too. They were very verbal people, they liked to use their words alongside all of their actions and that was definitely making this easier. What words they could say were backed up immediately.

The kisses got deeper steadily. Sex had never been a regular part of their relationship. Lyor was here most nights, and with him being sex-repulsed they didn’t even think about it. Most of the nights they were alone they were too exhausted to do much more than cuddle and talk about their days as they were falling asleep, but Kendra knew that for the two of them something this draining required a more physical demonstration of how they felt.

There was no hesitation for either of them, slowly but surely working the clothes off of each other’s bodies. Every touch a silent promise that they would try not to hurt the other like this again. Kendra put every part of herself into it, making sure that she responded to the things he made clear he liked. It was all still so rare, so uncommon, that every time they did it she learnt something new that he liked. He nearly always discovered something new about her too.

He nipped at the skin of her neck, to which her only response was a low groan. They hadn’t even made it to the bedroom, but Seth had her pressed against the wall. Both of them down to their last scraps of underwear. She was ready to pull him through to the bedroom when he leant close and whispered in her ear. “I love you so much Ken, I love you.” At almost the same second she felt him pushing two fingers inside of her, immediately making the muscles in her stomach clench momentarily. It was unexpected but she couldn’t say she didn’t like it. “I can’t imagine now going even one day without seeing you. The last few days where I couldn’t wrap my arms around you at night hurt me more than I care to admit.”

“You were always welcome to come home.” She replied, her voice already breathy. Damn him, he was going to take that as a win but there was a point to it that Kendra really didn’t care about. He could win every day for the rest of their lives as long as they didn’t have another week like this one. She needed him to be there. “I needed you to come home babe. I need you.”

Seth pulled back a little to look at her after she said that, still slowly moving his fingers in her, clearly wanting to make this moment last as long as he could. For a second she thought about telling him why she needed him, but before she could he smiled softly. “I need you too, Ken. I almost couldn’t cope this week.” He replied quietly then kissed her gently, removing his fingers then picking her up. Kendra was glad that she was light, and that Seth was a lot stronger than he looked.

The only words shared as they stripped off the last threads of cloth between them were words of commitment. The only emotion shared between them was love. Kendra studied Seth’s body as they moved together, fitting together as perfectly as she could have only ever imagined. There had definitely never been something like this for her before. As he pressed himself deeper into her she couldn’t help but tell him once again how much she loved him, how happy she was that he was there.

His responses were the same, filled with love and joy and the promise that they could make this work no matter what they faced. As Seth’s hips snapped harder and faster to hers she felt the familiar build up, the warmth that spread all through her before every muscle clenched to hold onto him, keep him in the same position as he talked her through it, telling her everything he loved about her as he continued through to his own orgasm. The two of them then just laying together and kissing softly as they caught their breath.

Everything they saw with work, everything that they would come across, she knew that she would be able to cope with it as long as she had Seth by her side, and as long as they kept this up when they needed to let each other know how much they mattered she knew that it wasn’t something they would lose. The two of them and Lyor would always have each other. One way or another, Kendra would make sure of that.

Having Seth back with her, his arms wrapped around her as they started to fall asleep, always a preference when it was just the two of them. They all loved to cuddle, and so Kendra was happy that they didn’t have to let each other go. This would all get easier one day, she was sure of that. Right now they were still discovering each other and that brought other challenges. As long as they never walked away completely angry she was sure they could make it work.


End file.
